The present invention relates to a process for producing a semiconductor device. More particularly, the present invention relates to a process for producing a three-dimensional integrated semiconductor device in which a plurality of semiconductor layers with sandwiched insulating film(s) are formed on a substrate.
At present, the majority of semiconductor devices are two-dimensional large-scale integration (LSI) semiconductor devices in which the semiconductor components are arranged in a semiconductor layer in a two-dimensional manner. In the case of memory devices, improvements of high-integration delineating techniques and other production process techniques have made it possible to industrially produce high integration semiconductor devices which, in the case of memory devices, have a memory capacity of 64 K bits or more.
An aim of the techniques of production of semiconductor devices is to achieve, in the future, a super high integration of 16M bits or more per chip. For attaining such a super high integration, a multilayer semiconductor device comprising eight to ten semiconductor layers must be produced. In such a multilayer semiconductor device, hereinafter referred to as a three-dimensional LSI semiconducctor device, the semiconductor elements, formed in, for example, from eight to ten semiconductor layers, are electrically connected to produce one particular circuit, e.g., a memory circuit. The circuit cannot function if even part of the circuit formed in one semiconductor layer does not function normally.
If in the production of a three-dimensional LSI semiconductor device the circuit function is evaluated after formation of the multilayer semiconductor device and if in only one semiconductor layer the circuit is not normal, the wasteful formation of seven to nine semiconductor layers is unavoidable. It is crucial to solve this problem so that three-dimensional LSI semiconductor devices can be produced with a high yield. The prior art has not tried to solve this problem.